Russian disinformation fogs up view of Ukraine war for many Canadians – National
An internal federal poll obtained by Global News found that more than two-thirds of Canadians said the disinformation campaign about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had impacted their ability to sort out truth and false information about the conflict. Says.
Questions about disinformation and Ukraine were part of the Privy Council’s weekly poll program in October. Its poll data was recently released to Global News under the Federal Access to Information Act.
The poll program is overseen and often directed by officials in the prime minister’s office, and the results are circulated to the country’s most senior decision-makers, including the prime minister, the prime minister’s aides, the cabinet, and all deputy ministers.
Two months after conducting a poll of Canadians on the impact of disinformation, Global Affairs Canada announced the most visible program to date in the government’s campaign against disinformation in Russia. Website Fact-Checking False Russia Claims About conflict.
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In Toronto on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, marking the one-year anniversary of Russia’s aggression, said his government would do more to combat disinformation.
“We will continue to support brave journalists who are telling the truth and sharing real news and facts around the world,” Trudeau said. “We will continue to ensure that there is no place for lies that Putin shares.”
But James Bezan, a Conservative lawmaker from Manitoba and of Ukrainian ancestry, said the Trudeau government was slow to respond to Russian propaganda, citing disinformation, such as banning Russian diplomats from Canada. He said he could take more aggressive action.
“How much does this government need to hear and see in order to keep sitting in the hands of those spreading this disinformation and foreign interference here in Canada, instead of becoming aggressive? I don’t know,” Bezan said.
“So, as I believe, direct ties with the Russian embassy and diplomatic missions across the country require the government to take concrete action.”
An October poll commissioned by the Privy Council Secretariat found that 37% of respondents said disinformation had a “significant impact” on Canadians’ ability to distinguish between true and false information about the war in Ukraine. said there is. Thirty-five percent said disinformation has a “small impact.”
“This disinformation campaign is undermining our own democracy,” Bezan said. “And this disinformation campaign is hurting Western support.”
A poll showed that only 17% said their disinformation efforts had no impact.
“I hope the government can look at these numbers and have a clear understanding that this is a serious problem and that even Canadians (ordinary Canadians) perceive it as such,” he said. Disinfo Watcha think tank that tracks disinformation campaigns in Russia.
“The disinformation promoted by Russia and spread on social media and state media platforms is directly intended to undermine Western and Canadian public support for Ukraine.”
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Throughout 2022, the PCO’s weekly poll program included many questions about Ukraine’s and the federal government’s response to the war.
In early March, shortly after the invasion, 41% of Canadians said their government should have done more to respond to the Russian aggression. By October, that number had dropped to 34% he.
The PCO’s polling program also found that views on the Trudeau administration’s response to the crisis have remained fairly stable throughout the year. is.
PCO votes 1,000 Canadians almost every week using live agents via mobile and landline phones. Raw poll data obtained by Global News does not provide information on margins of error, but pollsters collect demographic information such as age, gender and education level to reflect Canada’s demographics. Data can be weighted.
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